


Along for the Ride

by Hakkari



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, but definitely implied future relationship, maybe even pale, sort of pre-relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-01
Updated: 2013-06-01
Packaged: 2017-12-13 16:37:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/826444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hakkari/pseuds/Hakkari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Jane Crocker was a meticulous planner. It came with the name, she supposed. And the business that came attached to said name, too. Of course she was always ready when things didn't quite go her way - one didn't go through sixteen years of assassination attempts without learning to improvise! - but she vastly preferred it when plans went off without a hitch.</p><p>This was why the clown was so infuriating to her."</p><p>In which Gamzee decides it's time for them to go on a picnic and Jane reluctantly follows along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Along for the Ride

Jane Crocker was a meticulous planner. It came with the name, she supposed. And the business that came attached to said name, too. Of course she was always ready when things didn't quite go her way - one didn't go through sixteen years of assassination attempts without learning to improvise! - but she vastly preferred it when plans went off without a hitch.

This was why the clown was so infuriating to her.

By all rights she should have forced him out of her home ages ago, watching his back recede into the dead gray of her planet from the safety of her elevated home. Yet for some reason, she didn't. It was a conundrum, really. The only reason she could think of for not banishing him from the house was the somewhat morbid desire to see what exactly he was going to do next. 

Right now they were both seated quietly on the couch, Jane reading a book and the clown doing... whatever it was that strange, alien clowns did. It was moments like these that she didn't mind, because he wasn't bothering her or trying to sell her his silly potions.

Of course, quiet never lasts in the Crocker household, regardless of who's present. He began to twitch a little bit, then hopped up out of his seat and ran for the kitchen. Jane only glanced up for a second before returning to her book. Hopefully he didn't burn the house down, but then again he never did.

A pot slammed onto the floor and then there was a muffled curse. Jane sighed, carefully placing a bookmark in her novel (she would never dog-ear a page or set it upside-down open), and went to join him. She found him buried in pots and pans, only his face and the dreaded codpiece visible. She began pulling pans off of him, then grabbed his flailing hand once she spotted it.

It was almost comical, how much taller he was than her. She only reached the middle of his chest when he wasn't slouching, barely touching the shoulder when he was. He was gangly and awkward (though he seemed to be filling out a bit more - not that she noticed), and she was curvy and sturdy (she refused to called it 'fat'). She met his eyes for a second before snapping her own back to the floor.

"What exactly were you trying to achieve here?" He grinned.

"Sis, we're goin' on a motherfuckin' picnic."

"A... picnic?" His grin only curved wider, like the Chesire Cat from her novel.

"Yeah, it's when you up and put all this motherfuckin' food in a motherfucking basket and-"

"I know what a picnic is," she snapped, "But why are we going on one and where exactly do you plan on having one?"

He paused, considering. Then he shrugged. "Why not have a picnic, sis? Gotta get up and all outta this house. And I don't know where... gotta let the miracles take us where they will." 

Then he turned back to the food he had clumsily thrown onto the counter (he always made a mess, without a single exception). He reached for one of the pots to place on the stove, but Jane placed her hand on his and pushed it away.

"Why don't we just go with cold sandwiches?"

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gamzee was about fifty feet in front of her, basket in hand. Jane grumbled, still not entirely sure why she was going anywhere with him. She was half-tempted to pester Roxy and beg her for rescue, but the girl had literally just found Dirk again and had wanted to spend the day with him since he wasn't with Jake. Jane wasn't going to take that from her.

Hell if she was going to pester Jake, though.

So, she and the clown ended up walking around her planet for the better part of an hour, waiting for the so-called "miracles" to happen. Suddenly Gamzee bolted off to the left, letting out a few excited honks. Jane assumed that he had felt the miracles, though she certainly hadn't. Still, she followed him anyway. 

"What'dya think, sis? This old motherfucker do a good job or what?"

They were on the edge of a cliff that seemed able to overlook the entirety of the planet. From their vantage point Jane could see that the planet was more than gray, that the massive balloons and patches of grass present mixed with it to create a well, miraculous view.

"It's lovely. How did you know...?"

"Miracles, sis."

"Of course." 

"Gotta see that there's beauty in gray too, sis."

She glanced at him, though he wasn't looking at her but at the landscape. It was surprisingly insightful, for him, though she wondered if there was a more personal meaning to it. His eyes were glazed over, his visible black hair moving with the wind. It was like a scene out of the cheesiest of romantic movies, except that he was an alien with a codpiece and she was just her. They were close and everything, she could probably grab his hand without knowing and it would be like a rom-com and...

Jane chased the thought out of her head with mental pictures of puppies and the view in front of her.

Suddenly he seemed to snap out of his stupor, plopping down and opening up the basket. 

"Ready to get our eat on, sis?"

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She hated to admit it, but she was having a good time with Gamzee. They talked about a lot of things, from her friends to his friends (though he hadn't really wanted to talk much about it), about the game and how it had affected them, even about what had happened to her father. He talked about his new kismissitude (it was something like a hate romance?), and about how he was sad that his 'best bro and moirail' couldn't be there with them.

"I think I'm taking advantage of my best motherfuckin' pale bro, y'know? I mean, I'm so pale for him and he's good to me. But I'm not motherfuckin' returning the favor, sis."

She struggled to understand the alien words, but she thought she got the gist of it. "Well, if you feel like it's not working out, why even keep with it? 'If you love something, let it go'... that's the human phrase for situations such as your own."

He frowned. "It's not the same as human bros. Bein' a moirail is a miracle, fillin' up a quadrant. Can't just... cut it off without warning, sis."

"Alright, you've mentioned the 'quadrants' before, but I don't exactly understand...?"

"Oh shit, sorry. Up and all forgot that humans don't have 'em. Well, there are four quadrants-"

"Obviously."

"-flushed, pale, black, and ashen. I mentioned that Terezi's all black for this motherfucker. Karkat's my most palest of bros. The other human I mentioned - Rose?"

"Roxy's... mother, correct?"

He nodded. "S'pose so. Anyway, she keeps tryin' to be all ashen for me an' Terezi. But she hasn't filled that quadrant yet. Then there's flushed... which I don't have a motherfuckin' clue about, really. Had a flush crush on one of my bros once. I think he returned it."

"So what happened?"

"He died."

Jane flinched at how flat his voice sounded, the narrowing of his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks, sis, but the bitch got what she was all motherfucking deserving, so it doesn't matter now." 

An awkward silence descended over them, and Jane swallowed. "So... what exactly is the flushed quadrant? That is, if you feel like talking about it. Unless it's too painful or-"

"Shit, sis, I'm not exactly sure. Karkat would know how to explain it better than I would." His mood seemed to have bounced back, a light smile on his face as he talked about his moirail. "I guess it's closest to what you humans have. Think that's the best way to up and motherfucking explain it."

"...I see."

"You gotta flush crush, sis? Saw you up and interested in my olive potion." He actually looked genuinely curious, leaning forward. Jane felt her face heat up and she knew she was blushing.

"I'm not... exactly sure anymore. I used to, but I think that certain things have... changed." 

"What happened?"

"Well, for starters, he's dating one of my best friends. That kind of puts him off limits, don't you think? Besides, I could never hurt Dirk like that! He won over him fair and square." She paused. "Otherwise, I don't know. I've been starting to lose interest. All he does is complain to me, really. He's not who I thought he was before, though I still see him as a wonderful friend!"

She closed her eyes, trying to fight back tears that she didn't want to fall. "I don't know, sometimes it feels like I'm just doomed to have no one. I was always taught to take what I wanted despite the consequences, but I don't even want to try because I'll just end up hurting someone. I know that my... great-grandmother... would tell me to go after him, but I won't. Considering that we're probably the last four humans alive, too, I'm guessing that means I will actually be alone. I think that's the scariest thing."

He reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "Nah, sis, don't up and worry. You're motherfuckin' lovely and any motherfucker that doesn't see that is fucking stupid."

She felt her cheeks heat up again, but she hid it behind a sandwich. The two finished the meal in silence, then headed back to her house in the same. This time they walked side by side, but neither really knew how to strike up a conversation with the other, knowing what they knew now.

When they reached the door, Jane turned and smiled slightly at him. "Thanks, Gamzee. I actually... ended up enjoying myself. Thanks for the great time."

He grinned his Chesire Cat grin.

"Anytime, sis."

**Author's Note:**

> So I decided to take a break from working on other stuff to write a fluffy little Gamjane piece.  
> The Art of Miracles and Baking is still a thing, yes, but I'm working rather slowly on it (sorry).
> 
> Also, I'm joining the Homestuck Shipping World Cup for Team Gamzee<3Jane (hopefully)! So expect some drabbles and other things like that ^_^


End file.
